MEXICO CITY — Jasmín Ordóñez looks out from a wooden boat at the water as she crosses a narrow channel that connects a labyrinth of chinampas, island farms that were built by the Aztecs thousands of years ago.
“Let’s close our eyes and ask our Mother Water for permission to sail in peace,” she said as the boat moves slowly, in contrast to the frenetic traffic of Mexico City just a few miles away.
Ordóñez owns one of these island farms, first created with mud from the bottom of the lakes that once covered this area. When the boat arrives at her island, she proudly shows the corn and leafy greens she grows. Her ancestors owned chinampas, but she had to buy this one because women traditionally haven’t inherited them.
“My grandmother didn’t get any land. Back then, most was left in the hands of men,” she said. At her side, Cassandra Garduño listens attentively. She also didn’t inherit the family chinampa.
Today both are part of a small but growing group of women who have bought chinampas to cultivate sustainably in an effort to preserve an ecosystem that is increasingly threatened by urban development, mass tourism and water pollution.
Making their way in an area still dominated by men hasn’t been easy. In the chinampas of the boroughs of Xochimilco and San Gregorio Atlapulco, hardly any women work the land.
“People believe that men are the [only] ones who have the physical abilities to work them,” said Garduño. The mud stains her pale pink shirt, matching her boots. She knows her outfit gets funny looks from longtime male chinampa workers, but instead of getting upset, she finds it amusing.
After years away, she returned to San Gregorio in 2021 to dedicate herself to chinampa farming. She had gone to college and then spent long periods in Ecuador working in conservation efforts to protect manta rays and sharks. Then one day she came back to San Gregorio and was struck by the degradation of her own land: the lower water levels of the canals, the increasing pollution, the abandoned chinampas.
“That’s where I started to realize: ‘You are part of this space. And part of your responsibility is to safeguard it,’” she said.
After saving up for a year, she bought a chinampa — and was shocked to find it in such a bad state. A cleanup found pieces of armchairs, televisions and beer bottles. She worked to reopen canals that had been crammed with garbage and began planting crops. The distrust among the neighbors was palpable.
“They said: ‘Let’s see, this girl has never been down to this place, nobody knows her. And she’s already doing what she wants,’” she recalled.
But she knew much more than they thought. Garduño had learned a lot as a little girl who ran around her grandfather’s chinampa — “a paradise” of flowers. She learned that the mud from the bottom of the canals is the best fertilizer because it contains the mineral-rich ashes from the volcanoes surrounding Mexico City. She learned that planting a variety of crops keeps frost from destroying one entire crop and that the flowers attract insects, so they don’t eat the cabbage or kale.
Sharing the knowledge
“Chinampas can have up to eight rotations per year, whereas in other systems you might have two or three,” Garduño explained.
That’s why the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations recognized chinampas as one of the most productive agricultural systems on the planet. Today, her field is a melting pot of colors: the pale green of broccoli to the vivid yellow of marigolds.
Since 2016, she has been collaborating with Mexico’s National Autonomous University, advising other farmers who want to stop using agricultural chemicals and recover these traditional practices which also help preserve the ecosystem. Kneeling next to a planting bed, Garduño suggests elevating it so it won’t flood when it rains. Ordóñez takes note.
She bought this chinampa three years ago and is now seeking to obtain the “Etiqueta Chinampera,” the sustainability tag granted by the university to producers who, among other things, use mud as fertilizer instead of chemicals. With this label, their products can fetch higher prices.
Sixteen farmers have obtained the label so far, four of them women, said Diana Laura Vázquez Mendoza, of the university’s Institute of Biology, adding that the project encourages women to “take back their chinampas and produce.”
Cleaning the canals
In the chinampas supported by the university, filters made from aquatic plants are installed to clean the water and prevent the passage of carp and tilapia. Introduced in Xochimilco in the 1980s, these invasive species became predators of the most distinguished inhabitants of this ecosystem: Mexico’s salamander-like axolotl. Today, this amphibian is on the verge of extinction because of these invasive species and a combination of factors polluting the canals: the discharge of sewage from urban growth, mass tourism and agricultural chemicals in many chinampas.
“Chinampas are an artificial agro-ecosystem that was created to supply food in pre-Hispanic times to the entire population. And that endures to this day,” Mendoza said. “So the way to conserve Xochimilco is to also conserve the chinampa.”
But a walk through the area on any given Sunday makes it clear that fewer chinampas are dedicated to agriculture. Every weekend, hundreds of people come here to play soccer on chinampas converted into fields or to drink aboard the brightly painted boats known as “trajineras.” The impact of this transformation to the wetland is evident: contaminants have been found there, from heavy metals such as iron, cadmium and lead to oils, detergents and pesticides, according to a study by biologist Luis Bojórquez Castro, of the Autonomous Metropolitan University.
Most come from the treatment plants that discharge their water in Xochimilco and from the chinampas that use agrochemicals, according to Castro’s study.
Preserving what’s left of the past
“Look at the clarity of the water,” said Ordóñez as she reaches into the canal where she has installed her biofilter. She knows that taking care of the water is essential to preserving this ecosystem. This wetland is the last remnant of what was once the great Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire built on the lakes that once filled the Valley of Mexico. Although today what remains of Xochimilco represents only 3% of the original extent of those lakes, it’s still key to the stability of the city. If it were to disappear, the average temperature of the capital could rise by up to 3.6 degrees, according to biologist Luis Zambrano.
Xochimilco and San Gregorio also reduce flooding during the rainy season, provide a natural carbon dioxide reservoir and are home to hundreds of species, such as herons and the Tlaloc frog. “Look at the red-headed birds in the lagoon!” exclaimed Garduño, driving home at dusk along a dirt road after a long day at her chinampa.
For her, this is still the paradise she roamed with her grandfather. She’s convinced that women are needed to preserve chinampas and hopes that within 10 years, many more will own and take care of them.
“From the shared labor of women and men, we can do what we all want, which is conserve what we have left for as long as possible,” she said.
De Miguel writes for the Associated Press. This article is a collaboration between AP and Mongabay.
The 51 year old shepherdess posted a series of photos featuring some of her nine children at their home, Ravenseat Farm in the Yorkshire Dales.
In a poignant message, Amanda, who recently took a swipe at her ex-husband Clive Owen, wrote: “The ace of spades. Whatever life throws at us [dump and explosion emojis]. Come rain or shine. We deal with it.
“Strength doesn’t come from what you can do, it’s from what you reckoned you couldn’t. You can be proud and humble you know and farming is a great leveller.
“You can’t ever get too far ahead before rot sets in, the heavens open or the wheel comes off (literally or metaphorically).”, reports the Manchester Evening News.
“Farming is, after all a profession of hope. #yorkshire #grit #resilience #farm #family #shepherdess #books.”
Her 543K followers were quick to react to the post, with one fan commenting: “You’re an amazing family x” alongside a heart emoji.
Another follower wrote: “Love your posts Amanda.xx”, while another said: “love your family, since I first read your book before you were on telly xx”. Another added: “Love this take on all of what you do supporting one another on the farm x.”
Amanda and her former husband Clive Owen are parents to nine children: Raven, Reuben, Miles, Edith, Violet, Sidney, Annas, Clementine, and Nancy.
Their popular documentary series, Our Yorkshire Farm, ended in 2022 following Amanda and Clive’s split. The show first hit our screens back in 2018.
The Owen family are back on our screens with a new series, Our Farm Next Door, which documents their adventures as they renovate a historic farmhouse nestled in the stunning Yorkshire Dales.
This comes as Amanda candidly discussed her co-parenting journey with ex-partner Clive during an appearance on ITV’s Lorraine.
Lorraine Kelly, the show’s host, noted: “The fact that you have managed, even though you’re separated, the two of you – you and your husband – have managed to still work together, parent together, can’t have been easy but you’ve made it work!
“I’ve talked to you about this before Amanda, you have made it work and that’s a wonderful thing to have done.”
Amanda replied with a humorous anecdote: “He was on the phone this morning, he had fried eggs in some yellow washing up liquid!
“So he was complaining that I shouldn’t buy washing up liquid in yellow! Washing up liquid should only be green!”.
Lorraine responded with amusement: “Oh I see… because he thought it was like, okay…” before breaking into laughter. Amanda insisted: “So you see, we are up against it!
“Believe me, it’s the idea that we’re just getting on with it, there’s plenty to do, plenty of space and a heap of things always on the go. Let’s be honest, that’s reality!” with Lorraine replying: “Of course it is!”
It’s farm-to-fork dining at its freshest. I’m sitting at a vast outdoor table in Herefordshire looking out over rows of vines. On the horizon, the Malvern Hills ripple towards the Black Mountains; in front of me is a selection of local produce: cheeses from Monkland Dairy, 6 miles away, salad leaves from Lane Cottage (8 miles), charcuterie from Trealy Farm (39 miles), cherries from Moorcourt Farm (3 miles), broccoli quiche (2 miles) and glasses of sparkling wine, cassis and apple juice made just footsteps away. This off-grid feast is the final stop on White Heron Estate’s ebike farm tour – and I’m getting the lie of the land with every bite.
Before eating, our small group pedalled along a two-hour route so pastorally pretty it would make Old MacDonald sigh. Skirting purple-hued borage fields, we’ve zipped in and out of woodland, down rows of apple trees and over patches of camomile, and learned how poo from White Heron’s chickens is burnt in biomass boilers to generate heat. “Providing habitats for wildlife is important, but we need to produce food as well,” says our guide Jo Hilditch, who swapped a career in PR for farming when she inherited the family estate 30 years ago.
She’s electric: the writer gets on her ebike. Photograph: Rhiannon Batten
The tours offer an immersive way of seeing British agriculture in action. Pausing in the estate’s blackcurrant fields, Jo pulls bottles of chilled Ribena from a basket for us to drink (White Heron produces 5% of Ribena’s blackcurrant supply) and encourages us to taste the fruit: fat and sweet, the berries are a whole different entity to the wincingly sharp little beads growing in my own garden.
So lyrical do I wax about the blackcurrants that, after I arrive at my accommodation for the night, the estate’s homely Field Cottage, there’s a knock at the door: the delivery of a punnet to take home. I add it to the cottage’s guest hamper, which is brimming with tangy Worcester Hop cheese, local raspberries, some of the estate’s own apple juice and a miniature of its treacly, sharp-sweet cassis.
I don’t have to worry about working it off. The following day I’m back on the ebike on a new self-guided ride around north Herefordshire. One of a handful of routes the estate has curated around the region’s farm shops, cider-makers, cheese producers and farm-to-fork restaurants, the trails link up some delectable pit stops in different corners of the county, some of which feature on Visit Herefordshire’s new food safaris.
The estate’s ebikes come into their own on some of the rougher tracks
Setting out while the early morning mist is still loitering over the estate’s orchards, I swing over an old grass-covered railway line on to a quiet lane running between fields of hay, then wheel along to pretty Pembridge, with its rows of tipsy-angled black-and-white buildings. As if by arrangement, the bells start ringing from the church’s stand-alone belfry as I pass, giving the impression of a medieval rocket about to launch. I stop in the village stores to pick up a loaf from Peter Cooks Bread and a coffee at Bloom & Grind before pedalling on to Eardisland.
The mist lifts as I arrive, revealing a picturesque swirl of half-timbered buildings, a dainty 17th-century dovecote and an elegant bridge over the River Arrow. There’s no time to dawdle, though. I’m only partway into my 29-mile route and it’s mid-morning already.
I cycle down blissfully empty lanes to Monkland Dairy, set up three decades ago by ex-teacher Kaz Hindle and her husband, Mark. Having “bought a cheese shop because of a drunken dinner”, Kaz tells me the dairy came about when one of the shop’s employees mentioned her grandmother’s 1917 recipe for cheese. The grandmother turned out to be Ellen Yeld, one-time “chief dairy instructress” for Herefordshire, so the recipe was a good one. The Hindles refined it further to produce Little Hereford, a cheddar-like cheese that’s now the dairy’s flagship product.
The tour offers pit stops to refuel on local produce. Photograph: Rhiannon Batten
With Kaz semi-retired, the cheesemaking side of things has been taken over by ex-chef and former customer Dean Storey. Showing me the cheese cave and the dairy’s vintage cast-iron presses, Storey tells that me he makes 30 to 40 Little Herefords a week and up to 300 of the dairy’s deliciously creamy blue monks, plus some “more controversial” cheeses such as ones featuring garlic and chive; “My kids love it in pasta,” he says.
Resisting the urge to order the cafe’s signature ploughman’s, I hop back on my bike. Lunch beckons a few fields further on. The Riverside at Aymestrey is a pretty black-and-white inn beside the River Lugg. The hillside above it operates as a semi-wild kitchen garden. Among a bounty of damsons, cobnuts, jerusalem artichokes, fennel, lovage, kale, gooseberries and apples are pigs and chickens. “The garden started as a lockdown project and now we have 2.5 acres (1 hectare),” says chef-patron Andy Link, as he shows me around. “It means we can work in food metres rather than food miles.”
Soup at the Riverside at Aymestrey, which is supplied by its own semi-wild kitchen garden
I’m transported back to the garden when I bite into an appetiser of summer veg croustade – a mouthful of crunchy peas, beans and mint enveloped with crushed seeds. It’s followed by trout cured in gin and lemon verbena, with gooseberries and tendrils of sea purslane, then fall-apart local beef fillet and cheek from a farm 11 miles away. But it’s the dainty, cloud-like savarin I have for dessert that keeps this hyper-Herefordshire meal on my mind as I wobble back on to my bike for the ride back to White Heron; it’s soaked in a delicate syrup flavoured with pine tips.
The following morning, I do some foraging of my own, driving south to Longtown to meet wild food expert Liz Knight, of Forage Fine Foods,on her local patch. As we walk out along an old drovers’ road to the fields past her converted barn, Liz teaches me to look at the landscape not just as a view but as a foodscape. There may be an extraordinary panorama of the Cat’s Back hill across the valley, but we try to keep our eyes down: beneath our feet is pineapple weed, whose fruity flowers can be used to top salads or spice up cordials, broadleaf plantain, which can be fried like kale chips, and docks, whose ground seeds can be baked in bread and crackers.
Going wild: Liz Knight of Forage Fine Foods. Photograph: Rhiannon Batten
At one point, we come across an ancient linden tree, whose colossal gnarled trunk makes it a contender for the real-life Magic Faraway Tree, though Liz says that its real sorcery lies in its cucumber-scented flowers; delicious on salads, they are also said to help calm the nervous system. Nearby is a patch of yarrow. A forager’s cure-all, yarrow’s many medicinal properties include calming bites and stings, balancing hormones and soothing sore throats. Picking a few heads, we stroll back to Liz’s kitchen to steep the flowers with honeysuckle in vodka to use as a tincture.
Back home that evening, I make a salad using radishes, runner beans and soft dorstone cheese from the Oakchurch Farm Shop, another pin on Herefordshire’s food safari map. As I slice the veg, I think of everyone I’ve met over the last few days. Seeing such careful tending of food first-hand has left me not just with the lie of the land, I realise, but with the experience of truly savouring it too.
The trip was provided by White Heron; its two- to three-hour ebike farm tour and tasting is £50pp; full-day slow cycle rides £80pp; self-catering accommodation sleeps four, from £509 for three nights.Half-day foraging courses with Liz Knight from £55pp. For more information see visitherefordshire.co.uk
The cancellation is Trump’s latest move against renewable energy, which the US president has dismissed a ‘scam’.
Published On 29 Aug 202529 Aug 2025
The administration of United States President Donald Trump has moved to cancel $679m in federal funding for offshore wind projects, in its latest salvo against renewable energy.
The move on Friday is set to affect 12 offshore projects, including a $427m project in California, as Trump pushes to deregulate and re-prioritise fossil fuels.
In a statement, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the funding was a waste of money “that could otherwise go towards revitalising America’s maritime industry”.
“Thanks to President Trump, we are prioritising real infrastructure improvements over fantasy wind projects that cost much and offer little,” he said.
The funding had been awarded under the administration of former President Joe Biden as part of a wider pivot towards green energy.
Among the cancellations was funding for The Humboldt Bay project, which was meant to be the first offshore wind terminal on the Pacific coast.
A spokesperson for California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has emerged as a leading state opponent to Trump, criticised the action as an example of the administration “assaulting clean energy and infrastructure projects – hurting business and killing jobs in rural areas, and ceding our economic future to China”.
The cuts include a $47m grant for an offshore wind logistics and manufacturing hub near the Port of Baltimore in Maryland, as well as $48m awarded in 2022 for an offshore wind terminal project near New York’s Staten Island.
Also cut was $33m for a port project in Salem, Massachusetts, to redevelop a vacant industrial facility for offshore wind projects.
In a statement, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said cancelling the Salem grant will cost 800 construction workers their jobs.
“The real waste here is the Trump administration cancelling tens of millions of dollars for a project that is already under way to increase our energy supply,” she said.
The latest trimming comes after the Trump administration abruptly halted construction of a nearly complete wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut. The Department of the Interior said the move was necessary to address national security concerns, without providing further details.
In early August, the Interior Department also cancelled a major wind farm in Idaho, which had been approved in the final days of Biden’s presidency.
Multiple federal agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Energy and Commerce, said they are reviewing offshore wind farms approved by the Biden administration along the Atlantic coast.
Trump has regularly lashed out at green energy, and particularly wind power, calling it an ugly and expensive form of energy that “smart” countries do not use.
Yet, foreign allies and rivals alike have increasingly embraced renewable energy in an effort to slow the ravages of climate change. China, for instance, has invested heavily in solar and wind energy and has become a leading source for wind turbine parts.
Critics have said Trump’s approach will set the US back behind its competitors.
Last week, as US electricity prices rose at more than twice the rate of inflation, Trump falsely blamed renewable power for the skyrocketing prices, calling the industry a “scam”.
On Tuesday, he pledged not to move forward with any wind power projects.
“We’re not allowing any windmills to go up unless there’s a legal situation where somebody committed to it a long time ago,” Trump said at a cabinet meeting.
Our Yorkshire Farm’s Amanda Owen was faced with extreme weather
Channel 4 broadcast a repeat episode of Our Farm Next Door: Amanda, Clive and Kids on Saturday evening.
The episode, which originally aired earlier this year from the second series, showed the farm facing harsh weather conditions as it became blanketed in snow, with the family struggling to safeguard their expectant sheep spread across the hillsides.
Clive expressed his worries about the snow, saying: “January and February were funny months, and anything can happen. That Beast from the East was quite nasty, the kids were little and we had no electric for a week.”
He continued: “You know, everybody gets a little bit of snow, but it can be absolutely unbelievable here, and you’ve got to be careful, otherwise it’ll have you out of business.”
Amanda shared her thoughts on the bitter snow conditions: “When that snow hits, it can be exhausting. It can be exhausting mentally and physically. Day one, day two, yeah, it is fun, day four, five, six, seven, and beyond, it is a real test.”, reports Gloucestershire Live.
Further into the programme, Amanda made a frank confession about farming, particularly during severe weather conditions.
Channel 4 aired a repeated episode of Our Farm Next Door: Amanda, Clive and Kids on Saturday night(Image: Channel 4)
Whilst caring for the horses, she revealed: “On a day like today, when you see that light shine through the window and you know that it’s icy and snowy out there, you don’t pull the duvet over your head; you’re like, ‘Let me at it’.”
She pondered: “Because that’s what you have to do. And I always think to myself, ‘the day that you don’t want to do that, you’ve got to quit’.”
Initially hitting our screens in 2018, Our Yorkshire Farm showcased the extraordinary way of life of Clive and Amanda Owen with their nine youngsters at their remote sheep farm in Yorkshire.
Amanda and Clive are mum and dad to nine children: Raven, Reuben, Miles, Edith, Violet, Sidney, Annas, Clementine, and Nancy. The beloved documentary programme concluded in 2022 after Amanda and Clive’s split.
The episode, which aired earlier this year from the second season, saw the farm face extreme weather as it was covered in snow(Image: Channel 4)
Continuing to enchant viewers, the Owens have made a comeback with the following instalment of their journey in Our Farm Next Door, following the family’s escapades as they restore a period farmhouse situated in the picturesque Yorkshire Dales countryside.
The 1800s dwelling sits in Swaledale close to Ravenseat Farm and bears the name Anty John in honour of a previous occupant called Anthony John Clarkson.
In the final instalment of series two, Amanda gathered the entire brood to unveil the most recent progress in their continuing restoration project following 20 months of grafting, highlighting “how far we’ve got and how far we’ve got to go”.
Our Farm Next Door is available to watch on All 4.
SACRAMENTO — State Food and Agriculture Director Clare Berryhill, a charter member of Gov. George Deukmejian’s Cabinet and an aggressive promoter of California farm exports, resigned Tuesday, effective May 22.
Deukmejian, who made the announcement in a prepared statement released by his office, did not name a successor to the 61-year-old Berryhill, a rough-hewn grower and former state legislator known for his candor. He said Berryhill wanted to spend more time on his family’s farming operations in Butte and Stanislaus counties.
The announcement was not entirely unexpected. For some time Berryhill had indicated privately that he was tiring of the $85,552-a-year position and was considering returning to his farms full time.
“He has been thinking about it for a long time. Each time, we’d talk him out of it,” said a colleague. “This time he did it.”
One top-level Administration official who asked not to be identified said a successor to Berryhill probably would be chosen from outside the Department of Food and Agriculture. Mentioned in speculation as a possible replacement is Jack C. Parnell, state director of fish and game and a one-time assistant to Berryhill in the agriculture department.
Berryhill, who as food and agriculture director is a member of the governor’s Cabinet, traveled with Deukmejian to Japan in January and to Europe earlier this month to promote California as a good place to do business and to seek more markets for state agricultural products.
In a statement, Deukmejian said Berryhill’s “expertise and knowledge, particularly in the area of promoting agricultural exports, will be missed.”
Berryhill, a lifelong resident of the Stanislaus County community of Ceres, where he and his family grow grapes, was narrowly elected to the state Assembly in 1969, winning by only 38 votes out of 60,569 cast. In 1972, he was elected to the Senate but refused to seek a second term because it had “become obvious that a legislative career and the proper management of my business interests are incompatible.”
Deukmejian named him to direct the Department of Food and Agriculture shortly after he took office in 1983.
If you’re after alpine adventures then you won’t be disappointed in one of Europe’s breathtaking regions with idyllic chalets and amazing views
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Striking the right balance between relaxation and exploration can prove a challenge on any trip. The temptation when on the clock in a new place is to rush around ticking off sights, often resulting in blurred memories and fatigue.
My visit to the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland taught me a lesson in how to really take in my surroundings and resist the urge to press on with a hurried stride. Take time to smell the roses, or in my case, the cheeses.
This awakening experience began in the picturesque village of Adelboden, an idyllic chalet village 4,430ft above sea level, with blooming alpine meadows and crystal-clear lakes.
Home to only 3,500 inhabitants, versatile Adelboden comes alive during winter with tourists swooping in for its mountain sports on its dream pistes and World Cup race in January.
It actually became the destination for the first winter sports package holiday, organised by tourism pioneer Sir Henry Lunn in 1902.
It’s full of incredible views(Image: Getty Images)
In the warmer months, it’s ideal for those wanting to gaze at the scenery at their own pace while traversing its walking trails, mountain bike routes, cable cars, or swimming in the lakes.
The village’s standout hotel was acquired by Welsh brothers Craig and Grant Maunder in 2009 and renamed The Cambrian – a subtle nod to their home country (Cambria translates as Wales in Latin). This stunning, four-star superior hotel, rebuilt in the Belle Epoque style in the 20th century, is the perfect place to unwind, offering a swanky spa with pool, Finnish sauna, steam bath and outdoor infinity pool, which comes with breathtaking views of the Swiss Alps.
At the hotel’s Bryn Williams restaurant, named after the chef who hails from North Wales, diners can enjoy dishes created with Swiss and Welsh influences.
From here, take a short bus journey to nearby mountain village Elsigen where you can ride the gondola to reach an alpine cheese farm hidden away in the peaks.
Welcomed into the home of the Germann’s, father-and-on duo Adolf and Peter offered expert insight into their longstanding family tradition of cheesemaking.
After explaining the process of producing cheeses including Alpkase, Mutschli, Raclette and Ziger, which are heated at temperatures ranging from 36-90C, I was able to sit down and sample the freshly made blocks. They were full of flavour, thanks to added extras such as garlic and chilli.
It is not only food production keeping this area ticking nicely over, however, with the natural wonders of the lakes and mountains serving as a major pull.
Don’t miss out on the cheese(Image: Naturpark Beverin)
With the sun beating down, I grabbed the chance to take a dip in the crystal-clear water of the Brandsee Lake and could not resist the inflatable slide invitingly positioned only several strokes away.
It’s a short drive to Engstilgenalp where you can jump on a cable car and head above the second tallest waterfall in Switzerland, 1,969ft Engstilgenalp Falls.
A trip to the neighbouring town of Gstaad was next on the agenda. Famed for its old-world elegance, which has attracted the likes of Princess Diana and Madonna to the region, I enjoyed a taste of the finer things, checking in at the new Mansard Boutique Hotel.
Located centrally, The Mansard boasts the only rooftop bar in Gstaad and was a hit among locals, who were drinking in the views with a few glasses of wine.
Equally as impressive was the food in the ground floor restaurant. I opted for the starter special of mushroom pasta, followed by a main of sole with parsley butter, spinach and mashed potatoes. Finishing on a sweet note, a glass of vanilla ice cream with strawberries and Maraschino liqueur rounded off a memorable meal.
The following morning in Gstaad, I got to experience a great annual celebration, which is loved by tourists and locals. Visitors began to pour into the town during the early hours of the morning, creating an instant buzz.
This was the start of the Zuglete, the procession of cattle from the mountains to the heart of the town. A tradition kept for centuries to signify the return of the herds and herdsmen to the valley, thousands of people line the streets of Gstaad for a glimpse of cows, dressed in colourful floral headdresses, and goats that continually serve the area.
Oeschinensee lake is breathtaking(Image: Getty Images)
Such a day presents a lucrative opportunity for local businesses. One woman I met had spent 30 years on the Landfrauen Saanenland selling items ranging from cheese to marmalade. “I will not get rich with what I’m doing,” she insisted. “I do this out of passion, for the community, because being together is not about having an income, it’s out of love.”
Aside from the heightened sense of drama created by the Zuglete, Gstaad’s relaxation-related motto of “Comeup, slow down” can’t be argued with.
But those seeking a total escape should head to the tiny village of Ablandschen – situated on the edge of the Bernese Oberland and the Freiburg Alps, 4,265ft above sea level. Known locally as Detox Valley and home to only 32 inhabitants, here you can pay a visit to the smallest church in Switzerland and dine at the inviting Berghotel zur Sau.
“Welcome to the end of the world” is the message from owners of the cosy establishment to prospective guests, who can try a range of Swiss dishes.
Mushrooms and potatoes that accompanied my main dish of pork were grown just around the corner while the starter salad was made up of handpicked ingredients.
A bottle of the sparkling Blanc de Noirs – a Swiss spin on Champagne due to its mirrored production process – was the perfect accompaniment.
My trip ended by catching the state-of-the-art GoldenPass Express train from Gstaad to Montreux – an 80-minute journey offering panoramic views of the Swiss Alps and valleys plus Lac Leman (Lake Geneva).
This route is included in the Swiss Travel Pass (see information box above right) and seated in prestige class – elevated in terms of height in the carriage and service – I tried out my heated leather seat, capable of rotating 180 degrees, before enjoying a cheese board and coffee.
Gazing out the window as I glided through this breathtaking scenery, I was offered one final reminder of how avoiding well-trodden paths, going out of the main season and taking in the sights at your own pace makes travel so much more satisfying.
Book the holiday
Neilson offers seven nights on club board at the Messini Beach Club near Kalamata, Peloponnese, Greece, from £1,467pp based on a family of four sharing and departing from Stansted on August 24. Includes transfers, kids’ clubs, activities, and expert tuition. Birmingham and Manchester flights also available. neilson.co.uk
A farmworker has died from injuries he sustained in immigration raids on two California cannabis farms, as United States authorities confirmed they arrested 200 workers after a tense standoff with protesters.
The United Farm Workers advocacy group confirmed the death of Jaime Alanis, who was injured after a 30-foot (nine-metre) fall during one of the raids, in a post on X on Friday.
“We tragically can confirm that a farm worker has died of injuries they sustained as a result of yesterday’s immigration enforcement action,” it said.
Federal immigration authorities confirmed on Friday that they had arrested about 200 immigrants suspected of being in the US illegally in raids on Thursday at two cannabis farms in Carpinteria and Camarillo, Southern California.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that they also found at least 10 immigrant children during the raids who were rescued from “potential exploitation, forced labour, and human trafficking”.
The statement said four US citizens had been arrested for their role in violent confrontations between agents and protesters. Authorities are also offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of another person suspected of firing a gun at the federal agents.
“During the operation, more than 500 rioters attempted to disrupt operations. Four US citizens are being criminally processed for assaulting or resisting officers. The rioters damaged vehicles, and one violent agitator fired a gun at law enforcement officers,” the statement said.
One of the raids saw immigration agents clad in military-style helmets and uniforms storm Glass House Farms – a licensed cannabis grower which also grows tomatoes and cucumbers – in Camarillo on Thursday.
Agents faced off with the demonstrators outside the farm, as crowds of people gathered to seek information about their relatives and to oppose the raids.
Andrew Dowd, a spokesperson for the Ventura County Fire Department, said at least 12 people were injured as a result of the raid and protest.
Jaime Alanis inside Ventura County Medical Center after he was injured during an immigration raid on July 10, 2025, in Camarillo, California [AP Photo]
During the raid, Alanis, who had reportedly worked at Glass House Farms picking tomatoes for 10 years, called his family in Mexico to say he was hiding from authorities.
“The next thing we heard was that he was in the hospital with broken hands, ribs and a broken neck,” said Juan Duran, Alanis’s brother-in-law, according to The Associated Press news agency.
In a statement, Glass House said immigration agents held valid warrants, and it is helping provide detained workers with legal representation.
“Glass House has never knowingly violated applicable hiring practices and does not and has never employed minors,” the statement said.
United Farm Workers said in a statement that some US citizens who worked at the firm are not yet accounted for.
The raid is the latest to take place as part of the Trump administration’s controversial all-out campaign cracking down on immigration in the US.
Since returning to the White House, Trump has unleashed groups of immigration agents to round up undocumented migrants and sent accused gang members to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador without due process.
But in the wake of Thursday’s raids, Federal Judge Maame E Frimpong ordered a temporary halt to the Trump administration’s indiscriminate immigration stops and arrests in seven California counties, including Los Angeles.
The Friday ruling comes in response to a lawsuit filed by immigrant advocacy groups in the US District Court last week, accusing the Trump administration of systematically targeting brown-skinned people during immigration raids in Southern California.
The filing asked the judge to block the administration from using what they called unconstitutional tactics.
In her ruling, which remains in place for 10 days, Judge Frimpong agreed that “roving patrols” of immigration agents without reasonable suspicion violated the Fourth Amendment, protecting individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures, and the Fifth Amendment, ensuring due process of law.
Frimpong directed agents to stop racially profiling people and ordered the federal government to ensure detainees have access to legal counsel.
Al Jazeera correspondent in Washington, DC, Shihab Rattansi, said the case gets to the “heart of whether we can have these marauding sort of gangs of ICE agents without any identification” sweeping people up.
“[The plaintiffs argue there is] no probable cause to suspect they’re breaking any kind of immigration laws. And we know a lot of people who are citizens are being swept up too,” Rattansi said.
At a minimalist matcha bar in Los Angeles, United States, powdered Japanese tea is prepared with precision, despite a global shortage driven by the bright green drink’s social media stardom.
Of the 25 types of matcha on the menu at Kettl Tea, which opened on Hollywood Boulevard this year, all but four were out of stock, according to the shop’s founder, Zach Mangan.
“One of the things we struggle with is telling customers that, unfortunately, we don’t have” what they want, he said.
With its deep grassy aroma, intense colour and pick-me-up effects, the popularity of matcha “has grown just exponentially over the last decade, but much more so in the last two to three years”, the 40-year-old explained.
It is now “a cultural touchpoint in the Western world” – found everywhere from ice-cream flavour boards to Starbucks.
This has caused matcha’s market to nearly double over a year, Mangan said.
“No matter what we try, there’s just not more to buy.”
A woman enjoys a cup of matcha with her book at Kettl Tea in the Los Feliz neighbourhood of Los Angeles, California [Frederic J. Brown/AFP]
In the Japanese city of Sayama, northwest of Tokyo, Masahiro Okutomi – the 15th generation to run his family’s tea production business – is overwhelmed by demand.
“I had to put on our website that we are not accepting any more matcha orders,” he said.
Producing the powder is an intensive process: the leaves, called “tencha”, are shaded for several weeks before harvest, to concentrate the taste and nutrients.
They are then carefully deveined by hand, dried and finely ground in a machine.
“It takes years of training” to make matcha properly, Okutomi said. “It’s a long-term endeavour requiring equipment, labour and investment.”
“I’m glad the world is taking an interest in our matcha … but in the short term, it’s almost a threat – we just can’t keep up,” he said.
The matcha boom has been propelled by online influencers like Andie Ella, who has more than 600,000 subscribers on YouTube and started her own brand of matcha products.
At the pastel-pink pop-up shop she opened in Tokyo’s hip Harajuku district, dozens of fans were excitedly waiting to take a photo with the 23-year-old Frenchwoman or buy her cans of strawberry or white chocolate-flavoured matcha.
“Matcha is visually very appealing,” said Ella.
To date, her matcha brand, produced in Japan’s rural Mie region, has sold 133,000 cans. Launched in November 2023, it now has eight employees.
“Demand has not stopped growing,” she said.
Andie Ella, the founder of Milia Matcha, talking to employees before the shop opening in Tokyo [Philip Fong/AFP]
Last year, matcha accounted for more than half of the 8,798 tonnes of green tea exported from Japan, according to Japan’s Agriculture Ministry data – twice as much as 10 years ago.
Tokyo tea shop Jugetsudo, in the touristy former fish market area of Tsukiji, is trying to control its stock levels given the escalating demand.
“We don’t strictly impose purchase limits, but we sometimes refuse to sell large quantities to customers suspected of reselling,” said store manager Shigehito Nishikida.
“In the past two or three years, the craze has intensified. Customers now want to make matcha themselves, like they see on social media,” he added.
The global matcha market is estimated to be worth billions of dollars, but it could be hit by US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Japanese products – currently 10 percent, with a rise to 24 percent in the cards.
Shortages and tariffs mean “we do have to raise prices. We don’t take it lightly”, said Mangan at Kettl Tea, though it has not dampened demand so far.
“Customers are saying, ‘I want matcha before it runs out’.”
Japan’s government is encouraging tea producers to farm on a larger scale to reduce costs.
But that risks sacrificing quality, and “in small rural areas, it’s almost impossible”, grower Okutomi said.
The number of tea plantations in Japan has fallen to a quarter of what it was 20 years ago, as farmers age and find it difficult to secure successors, he added.
“Training a new generation takes time… It can’t be improvised.”
June 19 (UPI) — The Trump administration’s border czar Tom Homan confirmed Thursday that immigration raids in U.S. agriculture and hospitality sectors of the economy will continue despite recent suggestions of a pullback.
Homan said farm, restaurant and hotel workers will be the focus of immigration enforcement operations, but people with criminal backgrounds will be the first priority.
“We’re going to continue to do worksite enforcement operations, even on farms and hotels, but based on a prioritized basis,” Homan said. “Criminals come first.”
Last week, the administration said it was considering standing down on some Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in those industries, suggesting that such enforcement actions could cripple companies that rely on the workers, which President Donald Trumpacknowledged in a post on his social media account.
Trump’s pullback was largely attributed to comments by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins who said immigration enforcement measures in industries that typically employ undocumented workers could hobble their productivity.
The president’s announced pullback surprised people who take a hard line stance on immigration and have been largely supportive of Trump aggressive enforcement tactics.
Homan brought the discussion back to hiring practices Thursday while walking back the stand down on immigration enforcement operations.
“Well, first of all, there’s a right way and a wrong way to hire workers. There are legal programs that bring farm workers in,” Homan continued. “Second of all, I’ve been saying for years, Congress needs to address this. But because Congress failed, it just doesn’t mean we ignore it. It’s illegal to knowingly hire an illegal alien.”
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration directed immigration officers to pause arrests at farms, restaurants and hotels after the president expressed alarm about the impact of his aggressive enforcement, an official said Saturday.
The move marks a remarkable turnabout in Trump’s immigration crackdown since he took office in January. It follows weeks of increased enforcement since Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff and main architect of Trump’s immigration policies, said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers would target at least 3,000 arrests a day, up from about 650 a day during the first five months of Trump’s second term.
Tatum King, an official with ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations unit, wrote regional leaders on Thursday to halt investigations of the agricultural industry, including meatpackers, restaurants and hotels, according to the New York Times.
A U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed to the Associated Press the contents of the directive. The Homeland Security Department did not dispute it.
“We will follow the president’s direction and continue to work to get the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens off of America’s streets,” Tricia McLaughlin, a Homeland Security spokesperson, said when asked to confirm the directive.
The shift suggests Trump’s promise of mass deportations has limits if it threatens industries that rely on workers in the country illegally. Trump posted on his Truth Social site Thursday that he disapproved of how farmers and hotels were being affected.
“Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace,” he wrote. “In many cases the Criminals allowed into our Country by the VERY Stupid Biden Open Borders Policy are applying for those jobs. This is not good. We must protect our Farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA. Changes are coming!”
While ICE’s presence in Los Angeles has captured public attention and prompted Trump to deploy the California National Guard and Marines, immigration authorities have also been a growing presence at farms and factories across the country.
Farm bureaus in California say raids at packinghouses and fields are threatening businesses that supply much of the country’s food. Dozens of farmworkers were arrested after uniformed agents fanned out on farms northwest of Los Angeles in Ventura County, which is known for growing strawberries, lemons and avocados. Others are skipping work as fear spreads.
ICE made more than 70 arrests Tuesday at a food packaging company in Omaha. The owner of Glenn Valley Foods said the company was enrolled in a voluntary program to verify workers’ immigration status and that it was operating at 30% capacity as it scrambled to find replacements.
Tom Homan, the White House border advisor, has repeatedly said ICE will send officers into communities and workplaces, particularly in “sanctuary” jurisdictions that limit the agency’s access to local jails.
Sanctuary cities “will get exactly what they don’t want, more officers in the communities and more officers at the work sites,” Homan said Monday on Fox News Channel. “We can’t arrest them in the jail, we’ll arrest them in the community. If we can’t arrest them in the community, we’re going to increase work-site enforcement operation. We’re going to flood the zone.”
Madhani and Spagat write for the Associated Press.
June 14 (UPI) — The Trump administration has paused Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids on most farms, hotels and restaurants amid complaints from such employers.
The pause in ICE enforcement in the agricultural, hospitality and restaurant industries is to prevent disrupting the respective businesses, CBS News and The New York Times reported.
Such businesses rely heavily on immigrant workforces, including many who have unlawfully entered the United States.
“Our great farmers and people in the hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long-time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace,” Trump said on Thursday in a Truth Social post.
“In many cases the criminals allowed into our country by the VERY stupid Biden Open Borders Policy are applying for those jobs,” Trump said.
“This is not good,” he added. “We must protect our Farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA.”
The Trump administration has a goal of removing 3,000 people every day who do not have legal approval to be in the United States.
ICE raids that target restaurants, agricultural operations and hotels are causing concern among Republican lawmakers in swing districts, NPR reported.
Such lawmakers prefer that ICE focus on detaining and deporting those who have engaged in violence, vandalism and other criminal acts.
“I remain concerned about ongoing ICE operations throughout [California] and will continue by conversations with the administration – urging them to prioritize the removal of known criminals over the hardworking people who have lived peacefully in the valley for years,” Rep. David Valadao said Tuesday in a post onX.
Valadao represents California’s 22nd House District, which includes part of the San Joaquin Valley and is the son of immigrant farmers from Portugal.
